Estes Park Opinion

Lot 4 drama is in the hands of voters

The dialogue will likely continue, but the volume has definitely been dialed back.

That's because the two competing measures for the future use of Lot 4 of the Stanley Historic District have now been forwarded to the voters to decide in the April 1 municipal election.

The Estes Park Town Board has done its job. Now it's up to the voters to decide the future of Lot 4 - and possibly a lot more.

Just in case you've been out of town (or off the planet) for the past few months, here's the scenario that has caused so much heated discussion and finger-pointing.

The Estes Park Medical Center, in partnership with the Stanley Hotel and the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center in Aurora, is planning to build a $15 million world-class, high-tech wellness center on Lot 4.

The town owns Lot 4. Therefore, in order to sell the land so it can be developed for the wellness center, the town board had to approve a contract to sell the land. It did that last month, approving a $1.65 million contract with provisions.

Now, the public must approve the contract at the polls.

However, there is a group of residents - Friends of Lot 4 - who want to place a conservation easement on Lot 4 to preserve it from development forever.

They created an initiated ordinance, gathered enough valid signatures, and sent it to the Estes Park Town Board. The board, under state statutes regarding initiated ordinances, could either accept and adopt the ordinance or refer it to voters and let them decide.

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The town opted to do the latter on Tuesday night.

So that ordinance will also be on the ballot on April 1.

If both measures pass, the one with the most Yes votes will be enforced.

There has been, and likely will continue to be, a lot of pressure applied to the Estes Valley Land Trust to explain if the Lot A parcel meets the requirements for a conservation easement.

The land trust has publicly stated several times recently that it has no intention of discussing the merits of Lot A. The land trust says it does not take stands on political issues. Even if the conservation easement passed, there is nothing binding the land trust to accept the parcel.

Regardless, the real issue is crystal clear:

Vote Yes for the sale of Lot 4 for the wellness center, and you are voting for job creation, millions of dollars in additional town revenue at a critical time in our history, increased stability for our hospital, and a year-round business that should help our overall economic development and sustainability.

Vote Yes for the conservation easement and you are voting for the town to give away a valued ($1.65 million) property in a prime development area. At the same time, you will be strapping the town with the burden of maintaining that property forever.

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